Another connection mishap on Monday and Columbus Day

October 13, 2015

When one’s whole life depended on the internet, when it went down, it was hard to work. Paper and pen were fine because one could write the whole blog piece while they were waiting and place the hyperlinks in later. This was when it was better to have a company issue rather than a computer issue. With computer issue, having access to a writing program was difficult if the screen were black. This is Columbus Day, meant repair shops weren’t always open. Mom not having a car to help me out like last time made things difficult too.

That was what led me to buy a new laptop with Windows 8.1 with the option for Windows 10 upgrade. Well, that and the OS on my other laptop went out of service last April. Right now, getting on the internet was denied. My smart phone always displayed my internet symbol, until this afternoon when there was a problem getting on. The rescan of Wi-Fi networks fixed this.

Go into Settings

Press Wi-Fi Networks

It should scan automatically for available networks. Once the right one was found press it. The wifi symbol should return to the top of the phone screen.

Thankfully, the reboot was delayed. It was calming when the time, the picture of the cave and WiFi access was seen at the bottom of the screen to be serviced. Both the manufacturer and the Geek Squad charged a fee for service, something this person couldn’t afford.

My router and modem were a dual, so resetting it was easy. The router my brother gave me, lasted almost two lifetimes, almost seven years and needed resetting quite often. Here was how to do that:

Save all open files and shut down the computer.

Unplug the modem and router from its power source for fifteen seconds

Plug both of the above back in, waiting until all the lights came on.

Restart the computer and try getting back online. This was seen on the bottom portion of the screen.

The lady that helped me navigate this issue was getting a good rating. My giving her a big thank you made her day. Any time my computer didn’t need to be serviced was a blessing. At least there were two other back up numbers to call instead to the Geek Squad and my manufacturer. Last year, someone from the Geek Squad told me it cost $250 for a home visit in addition to the servicing. This blogger never knew of any discounts given on computer repairs, only that a warranty was good to have until it cost more than the computer purchased.

In addition to the help received from this Time Worner Cable customer service rep, she suggested that it was better to shut down the computer rather than letting it sleep. Some of the programs messed up when they ran in the background. Sometimes, I left myself still attached to an online website, which could’ve been another fatal mistake. It was good leaving it plugged in too.